ROCONA,
Inc. is a privately held company dedicated to
the development of support technologies for agriculture.

Current
R&D projects include the following:

I.
Development of an autonomous tractor

Development
of a robotic tractor that utilizes lidar for guidance, rather than
GPS. Lidar continually maps the inherent structure of a permanently
plant field (trees, shrubs vines) and navigates the tractor through
the “open” path between the rows of plants.

II. Integration of digital sensors into a
computer-controlled irrigation system

Buried
soil moisture sensor (left) and stem diameter, fruit diameter and
leaf temperature sensors (column on right) collect information on
water availability and the onset of plant stress from water
deficiency or other natural causes.

Field
sensors are hard-wired to a sensor control box which contains a
programmable logic controller (PLC) and is connected to a solar
power source. The data are then transmitted to the irrigation
control center by way of a radio telemetry system.

Field
data are transmitted wirelessly to a control computer to schedule
irrigation and deliver appropriate amounts of fertilizer. Universal
access to the system allows for program control from a computer
located anywhere in the world.

III. Adaptation of remote sensing instrumentation
for use in agricultural field situations

Field
testing of an experimental plant health sensor which has the
capacity to determine Brix level (sugar) of fruit nondestructively
using visible and near infrared spectral signatures. Research is
expanding to also examine the potential for detecting internal
freeze damage (granulation) to citrus fruit that is otherwise not
visible to the eye.

Research
has also begun that uses visible and near infrared spectral
signatures to identify specific pest infestations or disease
conditions on fruit and leaves in the field.

Finally,
ROCONA is also an authorized dealer of quality soil moisture and
plant physiology sensors from the following companies:

Sentek
Sensor Technologies

Australian
based Sentek
Sensor Technologieshas
revolutionized soil moisture, fertilizer and salinity management
with its range of sensing solutions. Sentek's technology is used to
visualize the invisible dynamics of the
plant-water-salt-soil-atmosphere interactions into easy to
understand pictures that irrigators use to manage their day-to-day
irrigation, fertigation and salinity requirements. The products have
applications in agriculture, turf, mining and environmental
management.

Phytech
Ltd.

Phytech
(Israel) is a pioneer and a leader in Phytomonitoring™; the
practice of remote sensing and monitoring of plants. Their advanced
solutions use state-of-the-art sensors, wireless communication, and
innovative software for collecting and analyzing data. These systems
improve crop production and reduce cultivation costs by providing
timely and accurate information regarding the physiological status
of the plants and identifying stress conditions before they impact
the plant or the fruit.

For
more information on our products or services please contact us at: